Incidents claim eight lives

SAHIWAL/KHANEWAL/TOBA TEK SINGH/BUREWALA-Eight persons including a minor girl and woman were killed in separate incidents occurred in different areas over the past 48 hours. In Sahiwal, a person was killed in an explosion caused by leakage of gas here in Baldia Colony on Wednesday. Four other members of the family including a woman and two children sustained burns in the incident.

According to the police, the blast occurred in Baldia Colony Sahiwal due to gas leakage. Resultantly, Niaz Ahmed died while his brother Fayyaz, mother and two children got severe burns. The police said that the room where the blast occurred caught fire in no time which resulted in the injuries. The injured have been referred to Lahore Jinnah Hospital due to their precarious condition. In another incident, a four-year-old girl lost her life after a toffee got stuck in her throat.

The police said that four-year-old Marryum, daughter of security guard Asghar Maseeh, resident of Lalazar Kachi Abadi Noorshah Kacha Paka Road, lost her life after a toffee got stuck in her throat. According to reports, Asghar bought four toffees for his daughter and she started chewing the toffees without removing its wrapper due to which it got stuck in her throat. She was rushed to hospital where she died.

In Khanewal, an elderly couple committed suicide due to poverty and protracted illness.

According to the police, Wednesday morning Noor 70-year-old Muhammad Daduana, resident of Haji Duana along with his wife Janat Bibi committed suicide by jumped into Shujabad Link Canal near Bagar Sargana, on Jhang-Kabirwala Road in tehsil Kabirwala. Locals informed that the elderly couple was living a miserable life due to poverty and protracted illness. They informed that the couple was childless. The rescue divers recovered the dead body of Noor Muhammad and search for the dead body of his spouse is in progress till filing of this report.

In Toba Tek Singh, a youth was electrocuted in Chak 152/GB, another drowned in Chak 359/GB and a man was killed separately in collision between a rickshaw and truck in Kamalia here the other day.

According to Rescue 1122, a youth was electrocuted and his friend received severe burns after they touched electricity wires in Bhindian Chak 152/GB here.

The deceased, identified as Bilal Hussain, was cleaning water-tank in his house along with his friend Abdul Rehman when accidentally they touched electricity wires, passing over the roof. As a result, Bilal died instantly while Abdul Rehman received severe electrical burns and was shifted to DHQ Hospital where his condition is stated to be critical.

In another incident, a youth drowned in Chak 359/GB while taking bath in canal. According to Rescue 1122, 14-year-old Saifullah was bathing in a canal when the fast-moving water took him into deep waters where he drowned. The Rescue 1122 divers fished out the body from the canal.

Meanwhile, a rickshaw driver was killed after a speeding truck collided with his rickshaw head-on in tehsil Kamalia. The deceased Muhammad Sharif, a resident of Chak Khokhranwala was passing Sarfraz Chowk when a truck hit his rickshaw head-on. As a result, he died instantly.

In Burewala, a rickshaw driver was killed and four others including two children got injured in collision between a rickshaw and car on Chichawatni Road near Chak 431/EB here.

Manzoor Hussain Shah, a resident of Chak 431/EB was going to Burewala from his village when he reached Chichawatni road, his rickshaw was hit by a speeding car (LE-4799) from the rear. Resultantly, rickshaw driver Manzoor Shah was killed on the spot while four car riders, including two women - Uzma Kanwal and Nazia Bibi and their two minor children got injured. They were shifted by Rescue 1122 to THQ Hospital Burewala where condition of two of the injured is said to be critical. The Sheikh Fazal Police registered a case against the car driver.